This video is a part of the "America on the Move" series. In the first half of the century, inventors harnessed new kinds of power to both old and new kinds of transportation. Electric motors and internal combustion engines powered boats, trolleys, t...rains, automobiles and airplanes. (2:40)[more]

This video is a part of the "America on the Move" series. Robert Fulton launched the first commercially successful steamboat service on the Hudson River in 1807. By the end of the 19th century, steam engines in the bellies of ships and locomotives h...ad changed the landscape and the lives of Americans. (2:40)[more]

This video is a part of the series "America on the Move." In 1800, the only practical way to travel and trade across long distances was along the nation’s natural waterways. As a result, settlement clung to the nation’s coasts and rivers. A few roads... connected major cities, but travel on them was difficult and time consuming. One hundred years later, railroads sped along thousands of miles of track. Large ships moved passengers and freight across the oceans and smaller boats plied the nation’s rivers, lakes and canals. Bicycles, carriages and wagons rolled over thousands of miles of roads. Seventy-five million people lived coast to coast, many in towns and cities that had sprouted up along the new routes. (2:30)[more]

This video is a part of the series "America on the Move." The dawning of the 20th century. America was in the midst of great change. Although most of the population lived in rural areas, people were moving to cities in record numbers. Electric troll...ey lines meant people were less dependent on horse and foot to get around. In the early part of the century, a new vehicle entered the fray. At first cars were fragile luxury items, but thanks to mass production, they quickly became affordable. The nation’s rivers, lakes, and the oceans remained a critical part of the U.S. transportation story. Then an entirely new mode of transportation was introduced in the early years of the 20th century. Regional airlines began offering regularly scheduled passenger flights in the late 1920s. (3:00)[more]

This video is a part of the "America on the Move" series. The jet engine took planes to new heights, providing a smoother and faster ride. The diesel engine replaced the steam engine in trains. And in cars, new electronic devices controlled ignition..., combustion, and exhaust. But more than mechanical wizardry, it was computers that transformed transportation in the late 20th century. (2:15)[more]

This video is a part of the series "America on the Move." The 1950s. For many, a set of wheels seemed to guarantee the American dream-the house in the suburbs, the family outings, the freedom to come and go as you please. Nearly 50 million cars were... on the roads.
In the year 2000, there were more than 220 million—more than one car for every person over the age of 18. A great increase in air travel also changed how we lived. (2:20)[more]

This video is a part of the "America on the Move" series. It’s hard to imagine America in 1800. The young country consisted of 16 states and just over 5 million citizens. The vast and impenetrable landscape made travel difficult and as a result peop...le tended to live very local lives. But over the next hundred years, roads were built, canals dug, rivers improved, and rails laid, which allowed Americans to spread out and conquer the continent. (4:00)[more]

This video is a part of the "America on the Move" series. The modern era of roads didn’t begin until 1956 when President Eisenhower signed into law the federal aid highway act. With it, he authorized the construction of 40,000 miles of limited access... roads creating the interstate highway system. It was the biggest public works project this country has ever seen, and was lauded as one of the most important, as well. Airports also expanded. Cities invested billions in acres of hangars and terminals and miles of runways..they hired thousands of workers. All to get us where we wanted to go, when we wanted to get there. (2:40)[more]

This video is a part of the "America on the Move" series. Between 1900 and 1950, the United States paved the way to its future. Local, state and federal dollars built millions of miles of roads, opening up new worlds to those who traveled along them.... The first paved roads were a result of a very different lobby. Bicyclists wanted smooth streets for an easier ride. And health reformers fought for them because they were easier to clean than dirt or cobblestone—an important consideration when horses produced over one million pounds of manure a day in some cities. Later, farmers pushed for roads to get their goods to market and truckers lobbied for them between cities. The nation’s first superhighway-the Pennsylvania turnpike-opened in 1940. The four-lane toll highway set the standard for the future. There were no traffic lights, no intersections, no steep hills, no sharp curves and no speed limit. By the end of World War II, the U.S. had a well-developed network of routes—air, rail and road—that linked every state and connected the country as never before. (3:05)[more]

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